A lot can be said about nurses: They’re by your side when you’re having a baby, or in the throes of a life-threatening medical emergency, or maybe they’re your point of reference when you have a loved one in a time of need.

Nurses are the best, are we right?

Well, about that: a Washington state lawmaker, Sen. Maureen Walsh, made headlines late last week while discussing a proposed bill that would mandate uninterrupted meal and rest periods for nurses.

She really turned heads when she made the following statement:

“I understand helping with employees and making sure that we have rest breaks and things like that. But I also understand that we need to care for patients first and foremost. And by putting these types of mandates on a critical access hospital that literally serves a handful of hospitals. I would submit to you that those (small hospital) nurses probably do get breaks. They probably play cards for a considerable amount of the day.”

The Republican from Walla Walla might be eating her words right about now. There’s been a strong response from nurses, and really, people everywhere, about Walsh's choice in verbiage.

If you look up the hashtags #NursesDeserveABreak or #NursesPlayingCards on Instagram or Twitter, you’ll find quite the array of photos and responses. Some were too graphic to include -- a bloody hospital floor labeled “last night’s card game,” for example.

Yes, Walsh’s comments hit below the belt for many, but they also brought on the best of the internet, which has truly has been delivering some classic posts.

Seriously, some nurses we spoke with said they barely have time to use the restroom during a typical shift (and many shifts are 12 hours!), so it doesn’t seem like a rousing game of poker is on the docket.

For what it’s worth, Walsh was pushing for an amendment that would exempt smaller, rural hospitals from this mandate, an amendment that was subsequently adopted, according to published reports.